Question About Dutch Springs

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Clark Fletcher

Contributor
Messages
215
Reaction score
88
Location
Hickory, NC
# of dives
25 - 49
My daughter and son-in-law would like to start scuba certification. They live in the Baltimore area (Timmonium-Lutherville actually) and would end up doing their Open Water dives at Dutch Springs.

My daughter told me that Dutch Springs is open until November and then reopens in April.

My question for you folks who have experience at Dutch Springs is whether you can dive there in a wetsuit in November (or in April)? Or are you diving in a drysuit? Bottom line is how late (or how early) in the year can they do their Open Water dives and still comfortably dive in a wet suit?
 
Lots of SB posts on the "what exposure suit should I wear?" question. And the answer is typically, it depends on your tolerance for water at various temperatures. I was able to do my first calibration during my pool instruction. We spent several hours in an unheated pool (about 80 degrees) at the dive shop, and I discovered I needed a 5mm. The shop had a lot of wetsuits right there, so it was not a problem. I then did my open water dives in a Florida spring (temps 72 year round) and after the first dive discovered I needed a hood at that temp along with my 5mm. I now use a 5mm full suit for all my dives (almost all in the Caribbean with water temps 80-85 degrees).

But that is just me, and I have a low tolerance for cold. One one boat dive I did a few months ago where water temps were 82 at depth, we had people diving in just a bathing suit, some wearing 3mm shorties, me in my 5mm full suit, and one experienced diver in a dry suit (!). So it is almost impossible to answer your question other than knowing how you respond to different water temps.

In your case, I would err on the side of being over protected, and make sure the dive shop brings along a couple of different thickness suits to your OW dives just in case. Part of your course will then be learning what level of exposure protection is right for you.
 
My daughter and son-in-law would like to start scuba certification. They live in the Baltimore area (Timmonium-Lutherville actually) and would end up doing their Open Water dives at Dutch Springs.

My daughter told me that Dutch Springs is open until November and then reopens in April.

My question for you folks who have experience at Dutch Springs is whether you can dive there in a wetsuit in November (or in April)? Or are you diving in a drysuit? Bottom line is how late (or how early) in the year can they do their Open Water dives and still comfortably dive in a wet suit?
we conduct training dives there..Start in mid May and go to mid-end of Oct..all students wear 7mm wet suit..we find it too cold early April and November for student divers to actually enjoy the experience.
 
The upside to diving very early in the season at Dutch Springs is the excellent visibility: no algae bloom, and very few people floundering in the silt. Very handy for a class environment, but the very cold temperature (about 42-45 degrees, if memory serves) is a bear. I have dived there as early as April, and even in a drysuit with dry gloves, I struggled a bit. The latest I have dived there is October, and that was a bit more pleasant: at that time of year, the sun has had a chance to warm the first several feet of the water column, so wetsuited divers should be OK on the platforms at about 30 feet. (Again, I was in a drysuit, and happy to be so below the thermocline!) However, visibility can be a bit iffy during the summer months because of algae growth and diver traffic stirring up the bottom. .
 
Dutch Springs normally has a few thermoclines. Last weekend I had temperatures of 70°F at 25 feet, 64°F at 35 feet, and 54°F at 60 feet.
 
My daughter and son-in-law would like to start scuba certification. They live in the Baltimore area (Timmonium-Lutherville actually) and would end up doing their Open Water dives at Dutch Springs.

My daughter told me that Dutch Springs is open until November and then reopens in April.

My question for you folks who have experience at Dutch Springs is whether you can dive there in a wetsuit in November (or in April)? Or are you diving in a drysuit? Bottom line is how late (or how early) in the year can they do their Open Water dives and still comfortably dive in a wet suit?

I dove there last November in a 7mm farmer john with 5mm hood, gloves and booties. I wasnt cold on any of the dives water temp was low-mid 50's, it was actually colder on land, low 40's. We had an enclosed canopy with a propane space heater for our SI's. Also running up to the bathrooms for a warm shower between dives helped get the chill out.

Havent been there in April, but have heard of the quarry still being frozen in April.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. They have been very helpful. I'll pass this along to my daughter and son-in-law so they can plan their class accordingly.
 
Atlantic Edge in Gaithersburg, Md does classes out of Hydes Quarry which is only like 20 min from Baltimore.
 
Columbia Scuba, in Columbia, also runs classes at Hyde's.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom